Delhi

Photographs of Delhi, India, including India Gate, Paharganj, Jama Masjid and the New Delhi Railway Station. India’s capital, Delhi is a tough place - loud, fast-paced, and unhealthy (Delhi has some of the worst air pollution on Earth). It’s not for the meek or weak. Everywhere people are doing their best to get a piece of a pie that has been divided far too many times. Delhi’s homeless population is staggering. I’d be shocked if there are less than a million homeless people in the city. Delhi is also changing, catering more to the middle class with large new satellite housing developments.

A homeless family sleeps on concrete, using each other for pillows, in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India

Muslim man near the Jama Masjid Mosque, Delhi, India

Ajay is a boy living in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India. He's homeless and has polio, and is addicted to sniffing glue. He cuts himself to gain sympathy from tourists. This is after our doctor visit for dressing and a tetanus shot.

A homeless boy with polio pets a street dog puppy wearing a little shirt the boy made for it, Delhi, India

Reflection of Fatehpuri Masjid 17th-century mosque, Delhi, India

A man selling old coins (fake old coins) looks at an image of Sai Baba on his smartphone, Delhi, India

Sisters offer a prayer during immersion of Ganesh idols in the Yamuna River during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Delhi, India

Children sit atop a car during a Sikh festival in Delhi, India

A homeless man sleeps in a mosquito net (used in part to ward off malaria) at the Car Parts Bazaar, Delhi, India

Free food is given out during a Sikh festival in Delhi, India

Small bicycle model handmade from wire at a market in Paharganj, Delhi, India

A calf rests near piles of chapati bread given to it by nearby market stall operators, Delhi, India

A toddler covered in red gulal powder during immersion of Ganesh idols in the Yamuna River for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Delhi, India

A muslim girl is driven to school in a cycle rickshaw in Delhi, India

Young man unable to walk due to polio wearing a "USA" shirt, Delhi, India

A man transports milk by cycle cart in Delhi, India

Mutter (peas) for sale at a vegetable market in Delhi, India

Packs of "Nagchampa Marijuana" for sale in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India

Street dogs in front of a Subway restaurant in Delhi, India

Brothers working for a chile dealer at the Khari Baoli spice market, Delhi, India

A man sweeps the steps of the Jama Masjid mosque at sunrise, Delhi, India

Girls in uniform on their way to school on a cycle rickshaw in Delhi, India

Boys who spend each day on the street eat at an NGO (charity) in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India

Shoppers are reflected in sunglasses at a market in Connaught Circle, Delhi, India

Wonderful street scene near Jama Masjid Mosque, Delhi, India. This captures quite well the character of a typical street in a low-income area in Delhi or Calcutta.

Tourist photographs a man pandhandling who is missing one leg, Paharganj, Delhi, India

Three men smoke cigarettes near Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, India. The area already has extremely bad air pollution.

The diversity of transportation in India. An auto-ricksahw, ox cart, motorcycle, and hand-pulled cart share the road near the Delhi Railway Station, Delhi, India.

Workers at a bicycle assembly shop in the Cycle Market in Delhi, India

Design on the facade of a tatoo parlor in Paharganj, Delhi, India

A boy and his father at their shop, Paharganj, Delhi, India

Shoppers are reflected in sunglasses at a market in Connaught Circle, Delhi, India

A man wheels a religious idol through the streets seeking alms, Delhi, India

Free food is given out during a Sikh festival in Delhi, India

Small rickshaw model handmade from wire at a market in Paharganj, Delhi, India

Tire shop, Paharganj, Delhi, India

Two homeless men lie sleeping in a wooden cart in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, India

Street dog resting on a pile of sand, Delhi, India

A tangle of electrical wires in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India

A dalit boy from Rajasthan eats a meal I gave him while begging near the New Delhi railway station, Delhi, India

A dead pigeon next to a sign reading "BODY" in Paharganj, Delhi, India

Giraffe at the Delhi Zoo, India

Muslim men and boys sit on the steps of the Jama Masjid mosque, Delhi, India

A man holds his son while selling balloons during immersion of Ganesh idols in the Yamuna River for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Delhi, India

Ajay is a boy living in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India. He's homeless and has polio, and is addicted to sniffing glue. He cuts himself to gain sympathy from tourists. Here he shows his arm several weeks after I began treating a severely infected razor blade wound.

Motion blur from a moving rickshaw in Delhi, India

A massive tangle of electrical wires in Paharganj, Delhi, India

A pigeon and a chipmunk eat breadcrumbs near the Delhi Railway Station, Delhi, India

Families arriver for immersion of Ganesh idols in the Yamuna River during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Delhi, India

Cycle rickshaw is still a common mode of transport in some parts of Delhi, India. The drivers are very often homeless.

A woman whispers her wishes in the ear of a Ganesh idol during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival on the Yamnu River in Delhi, India

Secret Agent in Training. A boy sells fire-baked corn at night at his father's roadside cart in Paharganj, Delhi, India

A Sikh man repairs cars in Delhi, India, with the tools of his trade in the foreground

A homeless woman sleeps in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India. A personal favorite photo. I visited the woman the next morning (this was at 3am) and showed her the photo and gave her some alms. She was tickled.

Construction worker at night in the Paharganj area of Delhi, India

Decomposing car at a repair shop in Delhi, India

Men play Pachisi, or Cross and Circles, a traditional Indian board game that is the basis for the well-known board game Parcheesi, in the back of a pickup truck in Delhi, India

A man and his daughter during immersion of Ganesh idols in the Yamuna River for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Delhi, India